Back from Thanksgiving travels. I spent hours in the car with my parents writing poetry about being in the car with my parents. Obvious perhaps, but maybe a good poem will come from it. I started two other poems: one about going out Thanksgiving night and the one about fire building. I took off this coming week just to write poetry, so I hope some of these things gel then.

At 1 a.m. this morning I gave three of my newer poems to my cousin for him to post "anonymously" on the Cowboy Junkies boards. He says they have a writer's "room," and he is curious what the regulars there will say about the poems. I will have to check the boards and see if he does it. I am still not sure why he wants to, but I'll see what happens.

I got my terminus issue. It looks very nice. Confirmed for me that no matter what happens in my life from this point forward, I will be publishing under my maiden name from now on. I want to be consistent in publishing from this point on.

I've been wondering about what emotional state I must be in to write my best work. I haven't felt creative at all of late. I hope I can write well and be happy.

I started reading Return of the King this morning at 2 a.m. I got through about 20 pages. I better read fast so I can catch the film.

Not literary but something I did today: I bought two things for myself. Not something I usually do in Nov. & Dec. I bought a large framed and matted original black charcoal sketch of a Central-Park-like scene in winter (w/ gazebo in distance) for $20 (seemed too good to be true) and a friendship rope bracelet for my right wrist for $2.95 (reminded me of the one I had in my youth that I loved so much and wore until it was darkened and frayed).

Tonight I am not sure whether to write and prepare for Highland Park or to update my web pages. Maybe I'll do both. At least I should get some of these new poems into the computer and out of my notebook.

This just in. It seems that the reason that I am not writing poetry is that I am working all day and then I work freelance all night. Funny how that becomes an obstacle for creative work. Take now for instance. I should be finishing this freelance project but I am exhausted and headed for sleep. So tomorrow morning instead of waking up and having my amaranth flakes and writing poetry I'll be finishing the project. *sigh*

My terminus is coming and Taproot is here. I've been offered a position on the Taproot staff to edit/proofread their pages in exchange for a spot in the magazine to feature my poetry. Pretty nice. Who can resist proofreading and publishing poetry in one shot?

When I think about UW I want to cry. We have to decide what to do about it. Nothing is happening with it, and we may not have the motivation to keep going. I used to have the time, but now . . . . I might suggest a two-issues-per-year arrangement just to keep it up. We'll see.

Got an email from a Dylan Clarke today, asking me to remove an experimental link on my poetry link page regarding Gillian Clarke. He said he is her web site webmaster. I took the link down for him; I am sure they must be related. Glad he liked my site.

New ideas: write of a person who visits all the replicas of the eiffel tower.

I am back with a good start on a number of new poems. I've started one on Native Americans, pipe smoking, and forgiveness. I've got one going on the changes in my hometown (a la I Went Back to Ohio). There is one on starting a fire. And there is one on the church with three doors, East Caanan. And I am still working on my short story on following a dollar bill.

I am reading (unexpectedly) Angels & Demons. I rarely read things like that. (Things meaning popular paperback fiction.) I'm enjoying it more for studying the style of writing the novel than anything else. The characters are overintense and exaggerated. But I am somehow absorbed by it.

I have been promised my issue of terminus soon. I had better check on that. I am also going to get another copy of Taproot; the first never arrived.

What else to say? If I could just sit down and write out some of my ideas, I might have a good poem come from it. I am frustrated that I do not give myself the time to write these days. I am changing my priorities starting 2004.

Well, here it is. The first entry in the new blog. What to say. The eclipse was beautiful. I just ate some of my cheese and broccoli quiche. I sent my resume to a publisher who needs a proofreader even though I don't really have time for a new client; it's an obsession at times to be in demand for my services. Feels good to get those calls. I am still thinking about starting an historical romance novel to see where it goes. But my priority: to get ready for my vacation and prepare to spend lots of time writing poetry for my December reading. More on that later.